Grace Baron on The Sycamore Institute, Tennessee’s Budget and Impartial Policy Research

The Sycamore Institute exists to help Tennesseans understand the issues, data and policy choices shaping the state.

In this Season 5 Good Works episode, Brandon Burley talks with Grace Baron, Director of External Relations at The Sycamore Institute, about the organization’s work as an impartial, data-driven research and policy center for Tennessee.

The conversation covers Tennessee’s state budget, Sycamore’s budget primer, county-level data, housing research, workforce development, education funding, property taxes, public policy, local governance and why clear information matters for voters, local leaders and communities across all 95 counties.

This is a conversation about good work being done quietly: helping people understand the facts before they argue about the policy.

I am a retired detective and criminal justice / government educator based in Tennessee. I am a commentary write for Tennessee Lookout and a weekly columnist with Knox TN Today. My work examines public policy, public safety systems and civic responsibility. My reporting and commentary have also appeared in Governing, The Arizona Capitol Times, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Police1, among other state and regional outlets.